Is Rep. Jim McDermott really running scared?

Seattle’s 13-term Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott is accustomed to piling up 80 percent-plus reelection margins in a district that has not elected a Republican in a third of a century.

McDermott

Surprisingly, our town’s Congressman-for-life on Wednesday sent out a fundraising letter that warns he may be sweating it out when seeking term No. 14 in 2012.

McDermott says he is worried about redistricting, citing the retirement of Massachusetts’ 16-term Rep. Barney Frank.

“Like you, I was surprised to hear that my friend, Congressman Barney Frank, announced this week that he will not run for reelection: The reason? In a nutshell, redistricting,” McDermott tells would-be givers.

“I, too, am anticipating a new district. The WA Redistricting Commission will make their recommendation for new congressional districts by December 31. Congressman Frank cited his new district and the enormous weight of raising enough money to win in his new district among his reasons for stepping down.”

A decade ago, the state’s redistricting commission packed as many Democratic precincts as possible into the 7th District, shrinking the number of Seattle neighborhoods included in Rep. Jay Inslee’s 1st District.

The upshot is that McDermott regularly garners 200,000-plus votes. In one election, his general election challenger was a Green Party activist who charged that McDermott had not given sufficient attention to human rights abuses in East Timor.

McDermott is doing his best to sound worried, writing:

“I want to be very clear: I am running for re-election in 2012. But I, too, am concerned about raising enough money to compete in a new district. Will you help me compete in 2012 with a contribution?

“2012 will be a tough year all around. Nationally, it seems possible that Newt Gingrich may become the Republican frontrunner. If our country’s new problems weren’t enough, now we may be facing old ones like Newt all over again.”